About

Dr. Joel M. Caplan is a Professor at Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice (SCJ), Director of the SCJ Master's Program, and Director of the Rutgers Center on Public Security (RCPS). He co-developed Risk Terrain Modeling (RTM), an geospatial diagnostic technique used by public safety and security agencies around the world. Joel's applied research focuses on GIS mapping, data-informed community engagement and crime prevention. He has professional experience as a police officer, 9-1-1 dispatcher and emergency medical technician. He routinely presents at professional conferences and publishes peer-reviewed journal articles and books, including “Risk-Based Policing: Evidence-Based Crime Prevention with Big Data and Spatial Analytics” (2018) and "Risk Terrain Modeling: Crime Prevention and Risk Reduction" (2016). He earned his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in 2008.

Work

Principled, professionally driven, and an effective leader who gets things accomplished. I strive to do work that serves a public good and improves the world around me.
Research
Teaching
Publications
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​CV

Consulting Expert Witness

Evidence-based insights for civil and criminal litigation. Specializing in geospatial and temporal aspects of foreseeability, high-crime areas, opportunities for crime, security and deterrence.
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Press & Media

TEDx
National Geographic Channel
​Vice News
United Nations
The World Bank
School of Batman podcast
and more...​

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Children's Books
Advice for Graduate Students
Forbes ranked RTM in top 5 list of ways to use “big data for social good” that can “dramatically improve the lives of millions of people.” ​